Tag: General Assembly

Sunday Smack

It’s Pentecostal weekend, which also means a long weekend in a few countries: no work tomorrow in Hungary too, yay! This was a busy week in global issues and happenings, although nowhere as much as in US politics. I tried to collect only the most interesting articles and posts and cut the ones you read everywhere. I hope you’ll like these! On world affairs: Could UN Peacekeepers Be Involved in a Syria Ceasefire? After recent diplomatic developments and the planned summit on Syria, will UN peacekeepers be the right solution in this crisis? General Assembly ‘strongly’ condemns Syrian human rights…

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‘Outraged’ by rising death toll in Syria, General Assembly demands halt to all violence

‘Outraged’ by rising death toll in Syria, General Assembly demands halt to all violence Yet another (the fifth) non-binding resolution from the UN General Assembly on Syria, still none from the Security Council. Adopted by a vote of 107 in favour to 12 against, with 59 abstentions, the Assembly text expressed the body’s outrage at the “rapidly increasing death toll” in Syria, which the UN estimates to be in the tens of thousands. The resolution also strongly condemns the Syrian Government’s increased use of heavy weapons, and also condemns ongoing “widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights and fundamental…

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The Arms Trade Treaty’s doubters | Turtle Bay

The Arms Trade Treaty’s doubters | Turtle Bay Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the National Rifle Association are grabbing all the headlines for opposing an Arms Trade Treaty that is designed to prohibit the delivery of weapons to countries accused of committing gross human rights violations or subject to an international arms embargo. But they are not the only ones with misgivings about a new global arms trade treaty. In all, 23 governments cast abstentions, a gesture designed to show discomfort, if not open hostility, to the new arms accord. It would have been 24, but Venezuela, which has not…

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United Nations News Centre – UN General Assembly approves global arms trade treaty

United Nations News Centre – UN General Assembly approves global arms trade treaty 2 April 2013 – The United Nations General Assembly has approved a global arms trade treaty that failed to achieve unanimous support last week but garnered the support of a majority of Member States when put to a vote today. The resolution containing the text of the treaty, which regulates the international trade in conventional arms, received 154 votes in favour. Three Member States – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Iran and Syria – voted against the decision, while 23 countries abstained.

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Here’s a list of all member states’ votes on the Palestine issue. Picture courtesy of the President of the General Assembly. 

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Click the photo to learn more! Also today, the UN General Assembly votes on Palestine’s non-member state status! Interesting day ahead…

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United Nations News Centre – UN ‘only as strong as the membership chooses to make it,’ General Assembly President tells close of debate

United Nations News Centre – UN ‘only as strong as the membership chooses to make it,’ General Assembly President tells close of debate Following up on the last post here’s some notes on Vuk Jeremic’s closing remarks on the general debate. More than 100 Heads of State or Government and over 70 ministerial-level officials addressed the 67th General Debate, which began last Tuesday, and for which the chosen over-arching theme was ‘bringing about adjustment of settlement of international disputes or situations by peace means.’ “Over the past week, we have heard thoughtful and constructive interventions on this critical topic,” Mr….

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General debate of the 67th session of the UNGA concluded on Monday

I know I am very late with this, but I wanted to cover the rest of the general debate same as I did with the first day, and then I wanted to do it properly, so at last I decided not to post it in pieces. That’s why this is going to be a long one.  So, my thoughts on the general debate part 2 as follows.  Whether Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad heeded the Secretary General’s warning or this speech was the original plan anyway, I – someone who expected nothing but the worst from him – thought he moderated…

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At Annual U.N. General Assembly, a Stage for All the World

At Annual U.N. General Assembly, a Stage for All the World At the annual session, those with global issues to press — no matter how tough the sell — worked to get their messages across to an international audience of leaders.

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